MPAA Biased in the film industry

Since the beginning, there has been lot of bias in rating movies. At first the Production code controlled the rating of movies, it sought to to "encourage artistic expression by expanding creative freedom" and to "insure that the freedom which encourages the artist remains responsible and sensitive to the standards of the larger society"(Leff 274). Rating movies was a voluntary thing unless the producer and director wanted to show the film in theaters. However, there was controversy in how these films were actually rated. For example, Dougherty, a catholic, was extremely biased in rating the films. According to Stern, “the Rating Administration was under Catholic indictment” (Leff 277). He would rate films harshly in the standards of the producers/directors. However, if the film was filmed with big time studios, then he would work with the studios to lower the rating or help them cut scenes out for a lower rating. “But independent producers unaffiliated with the major companies charged that once Dougherty branded a low-budget picture "X," the "X" stuck” (Leff 276). In other words, Dougherty had no incentive to help out the independents since they did not help out the Production code. When Dougherty 'retired', the production administrator was filled by a professional psychologist, Aaron Stern. However, after Dougherty left, “Sullivan withdrew Catholic support from the Rating Administration: except in name, the priest charged, the organization had abandoned the Code” (Leff 278). After this, Catholic biased began leaving the Production administration. Sullivan sought to clear the administration of Catholics and more professionals. Despite the fact that the Catholics removed, it was harder to get a decent rating out of Stern. Years later, the 'professionals' were replaced by parents. According to Scott Tobias, “The MPAA ratings board exists for the express purpose of helping parents make informed decisions about what they choose to allow their kids to see.” It is a guide for parents to what movies their children are allowed to see. However, the one thing that is wrong with the rating system is that it is supposed to a representative of the morals of the US population, however it is only controlled by 10 random parents in the Los Angelos area (This Film is Not Rated). “There are no professional developed standards, no written standards, the raters received no standards (Dick 3:09)” How can the morals of every parent of the United States can be expressed? Not everyone's morals will be expressed in this way, but this does give a perspective of parent and not of a director who may not acknowledge the influence of various factors in film might influence children.
Many directors and producers are outraged by some of the rating because it limits their ability to become creative with their films (Leff 282). This creative ability is usually sexual, where many parents are concerned about the appearance of sex in films. Violence, however, is not censored as much. Violence receives less harsh ratings than movies involving sex. American Psycho had really violent ratings; when the sex scene was cut from the movie, the movie was bumped down to a rated R rating ( This Film is Not Rated). The reason films have lots of violence is that “the film studios appeal to the adolescent audiences, and adolescents like violence. Therefore, they like to get out with the less restrictive rating (This Film is Not Rated, Dick). According to the Noel Murray and Scott Tobias, one film like Hostel II will get rated for violence, and it is to the point that people are tearing each other limb from limb naked, but another like Once is rated for language. This evidence is flabbergasting because parents are more afraid of foul language or sex scenes than seeing people totally tear each other apart. They are more concerned about the exposure to sex or foul language, that they do not care if this violence can actually probe problem children to become violent. Noel Murray empresses the fact that many children have access to porn that there is really no reason to actually restrict the sex scenes in today's movies. It is understanding that parents want to actually control the material that their children watch, but as the digital age advances, it is harder and harder to restrict children from they can get at their fingertips.